PRIORITIZING PUBLIC HEALTH Human relationships are at the cornerstone of the Brown School culture. We have been strategic and deliberate in making our physical environment inclusive and engaging. However, safeguarding the health and well-being of our community demands a cultural shift that reorients our behaviors around public health priorities. Given the transmission patterns of the virus, infection prevention depends on avoiding exposure and reducing close contact between humans. In the foreseeable future, our community will experience a substantial reduction in campus-based and personal interactions, signaling a shift in culture, and opening the way for new opportunities in how we facilitate learning, conduct research, engage with our community, and perform administrative duties. Teaching & Learning Students will continue to participate in robust learning through a combination of campus-based and virtual options. Attending class on campus will require adherence with public health measures as outlined in this protocol and according to university guidance. Full-time faculty will be teaching additional sections and courses, and will be prepared to deliver enhanced learning experiences. Faculty and staff will host virtual office hours and meetings with students. Community building activities will take place online; in-person interaction is reserved for campus-based courses only. Communal spaces will not be available for use; student groups will be encouraged to engage across web -based platforms and social media. Academic Affairs will work with student-led groups, organizations, and affinity groups to explore new ways of building community and maintaining relationships in light of these measures. Research During the fall semester, research activities will gradually ramp up, according to university guidance and public health conditions. Principal investigators should continue to support remote operations and adapt processes to reduce reliance on campus access. In addition to following updated guidance from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, staff that require the use of campus-based resources will follow public health measures for returning to campus. Community Partnerships Community engagement has quickly shifted to digital and online platforms and will continue to do to so throughout the 2021 academic year. According to university guidelines, there are to be no visitors at this time. Event spaces will be closed to the public. Our community partners and campus visitors will have access to many of our resources, but not to the physical premises. Additionally, public health measures outlined in this protocol are applicable to activities with our community partners. Administration The majority of staff members will continue to work remotely. Unit directors will implement new processes to support virtual and web-based execution of administrative responsibilities; departments will work with staff to ensure they have the resources needed to maintain remote operations. Employees who are returning to campus will minimize time spent on campus and may have staggered schedules to accommodate physical distancing. They will adhere to new public health measures and must ensure compliance with physical distancing requirements (maintaining 6-feet between each other at all times).
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